Work A Ski Season at Boyce Mountain

Boyne Mountain Resort is located in northern Michigan, USA. The town at the base is of the resort is Boyne Falls, while the nearest main town is Boyne City, which is a ten-minute drive away on Lake Charlevoix. Boyne Mountain is about a 3-hour drive north-west from Detroit, up near the top of the “Michigan Mitten”. Bus services are available throughout the local county via Indian Trails and the Charlevoix County Transit System.

Boyne Mountain is the sister resort of Boyne Highlands Mountain Resort, which is a 40 minute drive away (27 miles).

Mountain and Town Vibe

Boyne Falls and Boyne City are both fairly small and quiet towns, but have plenty of rustic charm. Boyne Falls has a permanent population of a few hundred people, while Boyne City has a few thousand. Boyne City has more in the way of attractions for visitors and residents , including restaurants, bars, art galleries and concert venues. Staff tend to come primarily from Harbor Springs, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Gaylord, Boyne City, and Boyne Falls.

The Terrain at Boyne Mountain

Boyne Mountain Resort has 10 chairs and two surface lifts. It’s made up 415 acres of ski-able area across 60 different runs. Around 30% of the runs are expert level, 40% are intermediate level and the final 30% are beginner level. Vertical drop is 500ft, and the longest run is 1 mile (Cold Springs). It isn’t big mountain, but there are some nice cruisers and glades.

Boyne has 7 terrain parks and 1 skier/boardercross course. The terrain parks are a big feature of Boyne Mountain, and have around 30 features between them. Meadows Park is the main one, built to host the Burton Am Tour.

Boyne also has 35 kilometres of cross-country terrain, which make up the rest of the ski-able area. Boyne also has the USA’s first six-person high speed chair, and continues the use of the first ever chairlift built, originally constructed in Sun Valley, Idaho, from which it bought the chair

Snow and Season Dates

Average snowfall is around 140 inches (355cm). The season is one of the longest seasons in North America, as Boyne tries to open as early as possible and run as late as possible. Last season ran from around mid-November to mid-May. Temperatures average around 20f (-5c) over the winter.

Getting a Job at Boyne

The best way to a job at Boyne Mountain Resort is to apply online at www.boyne.com/employment. You are able to submit your application at any time during the year, as someone is always looking to hire. Boyne is part of a conglomerate of resort operations, including golf, water parks, zipline, snowshoeing, fishing and biking. As such, the online application allows you to specify your preferences and move between resorts depending on preference and resort staffing needs.

The jobs never really fill up at Boyne, so Boyne is never really not hiring during winter time in some resort or department. There is always a chance for someone to get hired, no matter what time they show up during the season. Ski Instructor is a hugely popular position, as are positions within the Ski Rental department. There are a large number of servers and bartenders that apply over the winter as well.

It is possible to conduct a phone interview for a job, so you can make your application without having to physically travel to Boyne Mountain for a face-to-face interview.

International Applicants

International applicants are able to apply at Boyne Mountain, but Boyne does not currently sponsor applicants for an H2B visa. See Work a Snow Season in the USA for more information on visas for the USA.

On-the-job training is provided to all new employees, and there are plenty of opportunities to move up and take on more responsibilities at the resort. There are also plenty of opportunities for work outside of the resort. Boyne is a tourist-heavy area, so you’ll find that lots of shops and restaurants are keen to hire seasonal workers

Renting for a Winter Season

Average rent in the area runs from $500-600 a month for a one-bedroom apartment to $600-800 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. 3 bedrooms in Boyne City can be found for around $800. Shared rental properties can be found through local newspapers and classifieds such as:

• Boyne City Gazette
• Petoskey News Review
• Harbor Light
• Gaylord Herald Times and the
• Charlevoix Courier

Outside Work

The Resort holds plenty of staff parties and functions, like luncheons, banquets, walks and even Biggest Loser contests to encourage health and fitness, in addition to other events such as walking the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day.

Outside of work, you can ride as often as you like, as long as it fits in with work, but Boyne makes an effort to get employees onto the slopes.

In terms of entertainment and nightlife, the resort itself has a number of restaurants and live music venues, such as the Snowflake Lounge, the Après Ski Pub and the Das Café. Everett’s, Pierson’s and Trophy Room all have live music and stay very busy at night as well. There are also lots of things to do and places to visit in Boyne City, including the Freshwater Art Gallery and Concert Venue, the Red Mesa Grill Restaurant and the Cafe Sante.